Trustees Deny Urging Massive Medicare Cuts

WASHINGTON — Four government trustees of the Medicare system told a hearing called by Senate Democrats on Thursday that they had never recommended cutting $270 billion from Medicare growth to address solvency problems, as Republicans have proposed in their budget plan.

"The trustees have reported that it would take $89 billion, not $270 billion, to keep the hospital insurance, or Part A, trust fund solvent for another 10 years," said Social Security Commissioner Shirley Sears Chater.

Republicans have used a trustee report as ammunition for their plan to squeeze the savings from the health program.